Three Year Math Requirement for CSU admission?

Colleges and Universities A-Z California State University - GENERAL
1

CSU admission requires three years of math through at least Algebra II or Integrated Math III in high school.

I want to confirm that this means a student who completes Algebra II in 10th grade still has to take another math class in 11th grade, right? (The student completed Algebra 1 in 8th and Geometry in 9th grade.)

2

No, since you did Algebra I in 8th this will count toward the minimum 3 year requirement. I however will caution you to consider at least 1 year of Math such as Pre-calc in your Junior year. Minimum requirements are just that, the minimum. To be a competitive applicant, take a total of 4 years and you should be good.

3

Thanks for the clarification.

4

I have a follow-up question. My sophomore got a “C” first semester in Algebra ll and we are discussing whether not to take it again next year (independent of the second semester grade). Gumbymom, can you give me any insight on this situation? Good or bad idea? At this point we are fairly confident that we are looking at a math-light college major in the future.

5

I would not have him retake it for the GPA boost since many schools frown upon this as grade grabbing. If however, he feels that he did not grasp the concepts in this class to contine with the next level of math in the series, then it would be beneficial.
For most colleges, a minimum level of math would be Pre-calc and having this background would be beneficial in the long run. Many colleges require at least 1-2 courses in Calculus even for non- math type majors.

6

Thanks again for the information!

7

@Gumbymom. Fast-forward seven months… my child finished sophomore year with As and Bs… and Cs in Algebra 2 both semesters. My child really wanted to repeat the course to get a better understanding of the material. I mentioned your comments, but my child was quite happy to repeat the course and the counselor approved this plan. Junior year has started and my child feels the right decision was made. (We parents are content with the decision too.)

I am in the process of discovering how this will be reported on college applications next year. I think I found a CSU tutorial that states that the best grade for each semester gets reported.

Any insite or thoughts about this? I wonder how it will play out.

8

For the CSU’s, the highest grade(s) is reported on the application. If applying to the UC’s, both the original grade and repeat grade needs to be reported.

9

Thanks for the information and quick response, Gumbymom.